National Innovation Foundation - India
Building bridges between informal and formal
science: Grassroots Innovations’ Incubation
Experiences from India
Nitin Maurya
4th December 2012
ICCIG, TUFE, Tianjin, China
Innovation mindscape
Agriculture
Electronics
Household & Utility
Etc..
Agriculture
Agronomy
Plant Varities
Water management
Weather Indicators
Rural Machinery
Plant protection Technique
Herbal Formulations for Crop Protection
Land Management
Horticulture
Mushroom cultivation
Others (Ericulture, sericulture)
Food and Agro processing
Farm Machinery
Non-Farm Technique/Machinery
Biotechnology
Forestry
Agro forestry
Silvi - horticulture
Silvipastoral
Forest based products
Others
National Innovation Foundation - India
Engineering
Herbal
Animal Science
Animal health & hygiene (disease/pest)
Animal Production
Herbal Formulation for Animal Diseases
Pisciculture
Engineering
Mechanical
Electrical
Computer
Civil/construction
Agriculture
Human Health
Animal Health
Nutraceuticals
House Hold Innovation
Food and nutrition
Equipments
Human Health Practices
Allopathic
Cosmetics
Traditional
Herbal
Ayurvedic
Acupuncture
Homeopathic
Others
Transport
Farm Vehicle
Vehicles for rural/urban Transportation
Natural Resource Management
Products
Pollution Control Practices
Idea
Mechanical
Electrical
Transport
Household/consumer
Energy
Agriculture
Others
Energy
Energy generation
Energy conservation
Artisans
Rural
Urban
Traditional Crafts
Incubation
National Innovation Foundation - India
In situ – at the innovator’s place
Ex situ –NIF or an engineering or a R&D institution
Innovator as an incubator - community workshops
Paradigm
National Innovation Foundation - India
Grassroots Innovations & Traditional Knowledge
Conversion
Identify
•Ideas
•Innovations
•TK
Develop
• Market research
• Product
Support
•IPR
•Financial
•Strategic
•Managerial
•Transactional
•Moral
•Other
Promote
•Success Stories
•Brand Building
•Linkages
•Education & Awareness
•Change Agents
•Benefit TK holder/innovator
Incubation process
National Innovation Foundation - India
Prior Inform
Consent (PIC)
Prior Art Search
NIF
HB Network
Grassroots
Innovations
Technical
documentation
Technological
assessment
IPR
Protection
SRISTI
Competitive
Benchmarking
NIF
Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF)
Mass marketing/
commercialization
Entrepreneur/
innovator
Pilot scale
Production
Entrepreneur/
Innovator/GIAN
VARD fund
Incubation and
Business plan
Entrepreneur/Innovator/
GIANI
Testing &
Prototype
development
Entrepreneur/innovator/
Consultants/NID
The Golden Triangle of Creativity
National Innovation Foundation - India
Innovation
Investment
Enterprise
Grassroots Innovations
Augmentation Network
To facilitate the conversion of grassroots innovations
into products and sustainable enterprises.
Snapshot
National Innovation Foundation - India
• Scouted more than 1, 60,000, ideas, innovations, traditional
knowledge practices (Not all unique, not all distinct)
• Over 550 patents applications filed (In India, under PCT, USA)
• 19 applications filed under the Protection of Plant Varieties and
Farmer’s Rights Act (PPV&FRA)
• Over 1000 projects supported for validation & value addition
• 179 projects supported under Micro Venture Innovation Fund
(MVIF)
• Transferred 70 technologies to 80 licensees
National Innovation Foundation - India
Incubation:
Selected Examples
Energy: Low cost wind mill for lifting ground water
National Innovation Foundation - India
Mehtar Hussain & Mushtaq Ahmad, Assam, India
NIF Awards- 4th & 6th National Biennial Competitions
(2007 & 2009)
Technology Transfer to Choudhary Enterprises
Social Diffusion
Original
bamboo
windmill
2008
2009
2009
2010
About 1500 -1600 lit / hr@ wind speed of 8 – 10 km/hr, 50 windmills installed in salt farming
regions of Gujarat with support of Alstom Foundation, research on power generation ongoing
Agriculture: Herbal formulation for growth promotion
in crops
National Innovation Foundation - India
Community Knowledge, Gujarat
Validation and Product Development at SRISTI Laboratory, Ahmedabad
Veterinary: Herbal formulation for mastitis
National Innovation Foundation - India
Ukhardiyabhai Somabhai Raot, Gujarat, India
Validation
Status
Disease/Ailment
Plant
Name
Mastitis
IPR status
Common
withheld
Scientific
Part Used
Animal Husbandry Dept.,
Pondicherry
& SRISTI Sanshodhan Lab,
Gujarat
Bark
Patent
CS filed
A.N.273/MUM
/2007
Recognition
Award in 5th National Biennial
Awards(2009)
Technology
Transfer
Matrix Bio Sciences Pvt. Ltd.
Current
Technology
Status
Selling under brand name
Mastiherb
Written/Video PIC was obtained from the knowledge provider to work further on the knowledge
shared by him/her
Human: Herbal formulation for heel cracks
National Innovation Foundation - India
Community Knowledge, Gujarat
Product Development at SRISTI Laboratory,
Ahmedabad
Toxicity Study at IITR, Lucknow
Various constituent herbs of Care & Care have been reported & found to have antiinflammatory, anti – microbial, anti-pruritic actions, which offer regeneration of
skin tissue.
Plant Variety: Improved Varieties of Wheat, Paddy,
Mustard
Prakash Singh Raghuvanshi, Uttar Pradesh, India
& Pigeon pea
th
National Innovation Foundation - India
NIF’s Award in 5 National Biennial Competition (2009)
Features of the new varieties:
Wheat: Higher number of ear bearing tillers; lengthy spikes; more number
of seeds per spike; hardy stem; high protein content.
Paddy: Higher number of panicle bearing tillers; more number of seeds per
spike.
Pigeon pea: Bold seeds, robust stem, more number of pods per plant.
Mustard: Bunchy siliquae, higher number of seeds per siliqua, synchronous
maturity & higher oil content.
Testing/Trials: NIF facilitated the trials at NRCRM-Bharatpur, IIPR-Kanpur, NDUA&T Faizabad, CSUATKanpur
IPR Status: Applications for five varieties of wheat and pigeon pea have been filed for registration under
PPV&FR Act-2001. Registration certificate has been issued for Kudrat 9 wheat variety.
Diffusion Status: Prakash Singh had given 1000 quintal seeds of wheat and paddy varieties to the
farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana Gujarat and
Rajasthan.
MVIF: Supported with an amount of Rs. 1,90,000/- (about 21000 Yuan, 3800 $), all of which fully
repaid.
Nutraceutial: Herbal cookies
Community Knowledge, Gujarat
Cornnif
Ingredients:
• Zea mays (maize)
• Triticum vulgare (wheat)
• Glycine max (Soyabean)
• Cicer arietinum (Daliya)
Nutraceutical properties:
• Rich in calcium
• Rich in protein
• Rich in Omega 3 fatty acids
• Rich in dietary fibre
• Rich in phosphorus, iron, calcium
• Repair the body tissues.
• Energy booster
• Improves General health and metabolic functions.
• Rich in Antioxidants
National Innovation Foundation - India
MVIF ( Micro Venture Innovation Fund)
National Innovation Foundation - India
• Realizing the need of extending risk capital to grassroots innovators,
NIF established a dedicated risk fund for such innovators named as
MVIF of Rs 4 crore for ten years with the support of SIDBI in
October2003.
• Only of its kind micro venture risk fund, which extends financial
support to grassroots innovators under a single signature on an simple
agreement of understanding without any collateral or a guarantor.
• Unlike micro finance or conventional venture funds, MVIF invests in risk
areas with high failure probability, investing in those technologies and
products for which either market does not exist or may be very limited.
• Apart from financial returns, one of the key criteria for selection of a
technology for MVIF support is social return or social value created for
the benefit of society at large.
Projects supported across the country
National Innovation Foundation - India
Selected cases of MVIF investment
National Innovation Foundation - India
Multi purpose processing machine
Dharamveer Kamboj, Haryana
Over 75 units sold in 13 states of the
country and Kenya
Milking machine
Raghava Gowda, Karnataka
Sold more than 10,000 machines In
India and abroad. Has opened office
in Sri Lanka
National Innovation Foundation - India
Product enquiries
National Innovation Foundation - India
S. No.
Innovation/product
Countires
1
Coconut/palm tree climbing device
USA, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Australia, Sri Lanka, Mexico,
Iran, West Indies, Malaysia
2
Entech oil expeller
USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Phillipines, Canada, Kenya,
Colombia, S. Africa, Switzerland, Poland, Indonesia, Belgium
3
Garlic peeling machine
Slovenia, USA, Turkey, Peru, Singapore, Iran , Venezuela,
Pakistan
4
Pomegranate deseeding machine
USA, Australia, Turkey, Venezuela, Hongkong, Israel,
Netherlands, Thailand, UAE, Iran, United Kingdom
5
Cassava peeling machine
Congo, USA, Benin, Nigeria, Kenya, UAE, Uganda
6
Aaruni tilting cart
Uganda
7
Coconut defibring machine
China
8
Coconut dehusker
Mexico, New Zealand, USA, Philippines, Bangladesh
9
Lemon cutting machine
S. Africa
10
Milking machine
Bangladesh, Uganda, Ecuador
11
Palm leaf mat weaving machine
Fiji
12
Rain Gun (Chandraprabha)
Sudan
13
Tea making machine
Bangladesh,
14
Tile making machine
Bangladesh, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Zambia
15
Trench digging machine
Pakistan
16
Zero head water turbine
Egypt
17
Arecanut dehusking machine
Chile
National Innovation Foundation - India
Sales Realised
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Coconut tree climber - USA, Australia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Brazil,
Mexico, West Indies, Malaysia
Pomegranate deseeder -Turkey, USA
Garlic peeling machine -Pakistan
Arecanut husker - Singapore
Milking machine - Phillipines, Uganda, Ethiopia
Resin grading machine -Peru
Cassava peeling machine - Kenya
Herbal growth promoters - Ghana
Grassroots Technological Innovation Acquisition Fund
National Innovation Foundation - India
(GTIAF)
A fund to acquire the rights of socially useful grassroots technologies by
making a payment to the innovators who retain the right to work on their
technologies. NIF can then license the same to a number of entrepreneurs
across the country on a low cost or a no cost basis or declare the same
open source for the larger benefit of the society. It can also pool together
desired characters of different versions of a technology and develop new
prototypes.
NIF acquired the rights of 70 technologies this year and is preparing the
plan to socially diffuse them.
National Innovation Foundation - India
Thank You
info@nifindia.org
nitin@nifindia.org
National Innovation Foundation – India
Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India
国 革新 基础 - 印度
部门 的 科学 和 技术 政府 的 印度
In support of grassroots innovations
在 支持 的 基层 创新